Inertia actuated weft detector



Nov. 6, 1934. o. v. PAYNE I INERTIA ACTUATED WEFT DETECTOR Filed Nov. 30. 1931 e s n wu M e ta n P r e.vm WU t dv Q a C s G Patented Nov. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES INERTIA ACTUATED WEFT DETECTOR Oscar V. Payne, Worcester, Mass, assignor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 30, 1931, Serial No. 578,066

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in weft detectors for looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide a detector of this type which shall be rendered operative by the momen- 5 tum of a weighted part.

In theordinary fly shuttle loom the shuttle moves back and forth across the lay and comes to rest aftereach flight through the shed of warp -threads. The stopping is usually abrupt and it is another object of my invention to make use of this fact by providing a detector having a weight which tends to continue moving after the shuttle stops and at weft exhaustion to bring about closure of an electric circuit within the shuttle.

The lay of the usual loom moves forwardly after or during the boxing of the shuttle and comes to rest at front center when the filling is beaten into the fell of the cloth. A mass sus- Spended to move freely with respect to the lay will tend to move forwardly as the lay reaches front center, and it is a further object of my invention to provide a detector which will make use of this tendency to continue or maintain closure of the .llcircuit which is made when the shuttle is boxed.

In this way ample time is afforded for the action of electro-magnetic devices which control the loom. As shown herein I provide a weighted mass which is disposed diagonally with respect to its pivot, so that it may tend to move by momentum along a curved line having components of which at any point within the range of movement of the weighted mass will be parallel to and also transverse of the lay. In this way ,ia single weighted mass can be made to respond to both the shuttle and lay induced tendencies to continue motion already described.

It is another object of the invention to provide an inertia actuated detector having an indicator to initiate loom change and then return automatically to normal non-indicating position.

In this way, the weaver is relieved of any necessityfor resetting the indicator when replenishing the weft.

i With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts'hereinafter described and set forth in the claims. I In the accompanying drawing, wherein a convenient embodiment of my invention is set forth,

Fig. 1 is a top planview of a shuttle made according to my present invention with a full supply of weft shown therein,

' Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but with the weft depleted and the detector moved to indicating position,

Fig. 3 is avertical transverse section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a detailed vertical longitudinal section 0 on line 4-4 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a shuttle box and lay and assembly showing the relation of my shuttle and detector to these parts, and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the lay and drive therefor.

Referring to Fig. 6, I have shown a lay 10 mounted on lay swords 11 which move about an axis 12 at the bottom of the loom. A crankshaft 13 may rotate once for each pick of the loom and is attached to crank connectors 14 the forward ends of which are pivoted to the lay 10. The lay supports a shuttle box 15, reed 16, and a box front 1'7. As the shaft rotates the lay will be swung back and forth, moving about axis 12 as a pivot. Uniform rotation of the shaft 13 will cause the lay to move most rapidly when it is at an intermediate point between its extreme back and forth positions. For this reason the momentum is at a maximum before the lay reaches front position, the lay retarding after reaching this maximum momentum.

Fig. 5 shows in greater detail the box 15 which has a box front 17 secured to the lay beam' and provided with a feeler slot 19. The box mouth 20 is located adjacent the inner end of the box, while the binder 21 is pivoted, as at 22, adjacent the other end of the box. The binder spring 23 secured to the lay bears against the binder and serves to push the same against the shuttle S. The picker 24 may be actuated in the usual manner by picker stick 25.

The shuttle mayhave any form of eye E and preferably has a spindle 26 pivoted thereto about a pivot pin 27. This spindle has mounted thereon a metallic cop or quill 28 having a mass of weft W. The shuttle may have two spaced electric contact plates 29 and 30, respectively, which are positioned for engagement with resilient brushes 31 and 32, respectively. These brushes may be connected to an external circuit not shown which when closed brings about a change in the operation of the loom, such for instance, as stoppage or replenishment.

The matter thus far described forms no part of my present invention and may be made in the usual manner. V

In carrying my invention into effect I provide a small bracket 40 having a vertical pivot pin 41 on which is mounted a detector lever 42. The lever has a long, thin and light yarn engaging arm 43, and has a second much heavier and weighted arm 44. The latter extends transversely of the shuttle, substantially as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. A finger 45' on the lever is pressed by a light compression spring 46 sufficiently delicate to beovercome readily by the weighted arm 44 when the latter tends to move because of its momentum.

The bracket 40 is in electrical connection with the contact plate 30, while the other contact plate is in electrical connection with the spindle 26. Electric connection between the quill 28 and the metallic lever 42 will therefore result in closure of the aforesaid circuit, not' shown'herein; toeffect a change in' the operation of the loom.

In operation, as the shuttle is boxed on that side of the loom where the brushes or contacts are 1 located it will strike the. binder 21 and have its speed slackened. When in the :position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, for instance, the shuttle will be travelling with no resistance olfere'diby the binder, but as it enters the box its speed will be slackened and the weighted arm 44 will tend to move ahead by reason of' its momentum-'3 that is, it will tend to turn in a counter-clockwisebr left hand direction as viewed in Fig. 2. The light arm 43 will therefore be forced against the weft and if'sufiicient of the latter be present the leverwill not be permitted to have contact withthe quill 28.- As substantial exhaustion approaches,

' j however, enough of the surface of the quill will be uncovered so that the-arm 43'can have contact therewith'as the shuttle is boxed. -The plates '29" and 30 will-therefore be electrically connected, and current can flow-frombrush 32, through plate 30,'bracket-40, pin'4l, arm 43, quill 28, spind1e26 to the other plate 29'and brush 31. The electrical connection of the two brushes will result in-a change in-the operation of the'loom as indicated hereinbefore. 1 1 i I It'is to be understood that the shuttle is boxed while the lay is moving forwardly with the crank connectors 14 in arelatively low position, and this is the'time in'the cycle of the loom Whenthe lay is moving faster; Continued forward movement of the lay is accompanied by a retardation the effect of which is to tend to hold the arm- 43-against the weftorthe quill because of the momentum of-the 'weighted arm 44: :Aninspection of Fig. 2 'willshow that the diagonal disposi "1 tion of the weighted arm 44 with respect to 'thepivot pin'4'1 will make the lever 42 responsive to inertia effects due to the. slackening of the speed of the shuttle along the pathparallel to its-length and :also 'to a slackeningof-the forward movement of theshuttledue to retardation of the lay. The detector is thereforeheldagainst the yarn-or the quill during a portion "of the for-'- ward movement 'of thelay sufiiciently long to give the electro-magnetic devices time to be properly set.

It is to be understood that the shuttle will not be boxed instantly but will require an-appreciable length of time. to travel along the binder, and the, tendency of the weighted arm 44 to compress the light spring therefore continues throughout the boxing of the shuttle. Thepreviouslydescribed circuit through theshuttle ,can therefore be= closed while the'shuttle is moving alongthe bind er,- thus giving sufficient time for the operation of devices asalready described. The plates on the shuttle may be of any desired lengthto per-- mit establishment of the circuit while the shut tle is moving inthe box. J

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a simple form of detector which closes.

an electric contact bya forcederived from the momentum of a part mounted movably with re- I spect to the shuttle- The circuit may be closed during the movement of the shuttle into the vbox due to momentum derived from'the shuttle,

and maybe maintained closed during subsequent forward movement of the lay due to momentum resulting fromthedecele'ration 'of'the lay. It

will also be seen that the detector arm 43 which gives the indication of weft exhaustion returns to normal non-indicating position automatically by the action of spring 46,. after the shuttle comes to rest. The weaver need not have the care, 30 therefore, of resetting the detector when replenis hing the weft.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes --and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention-and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

"L In -Wef-t detecting mechanism for a loom, a shuttle movable back and forth in the loom and 9 coming to rest abruptly at the end of each flight,

a metallic weft carrier having a mass of non-conducting weft thereon, an electric detectoryarid aweighted mass operatively connected to the: detector and movable byr reason of the momen turn thereof when the shuttleisbrought to' rest' to move the detectortowa'rd' the weftand carrier, electric engagement ofthe detector-effective to cause a change in loom operation by a current flowing H through the -metallic weft= carrier. 1

2. In weft detecting mechanism-for -a loom having a lay movableback and forth therein and along which a shuttle -moves 'andis" brought to restabruptly, a weft detector'to engagea-surfaceto be detected within the shuttlepa-nd a weight ed mass operatively connectedto the detector and effective-by reason of thepositionand momentum thereof i when the shuttle is boxedand -due also to slackening motion-of the lay as the latter a'pproaches its forward position to moveand maintain the detector against the surface to be 'detectw ed, x: w: i 3. In weft detecting mechanism for a loom having a lay movable-backand-forth therein andalong which a shuttle-moves and is -broughtabruptly to rest, aweft detectorsupported' by- -v and movable with respect to the shuttle-andre sponsive to a force exerted by the momentum of said detector when the shuttle is boxed and re sponsive'alsotoa force exerteddue to slackening motion of -;thelay-as-the latter-approachesits: w forward position to move and maintain *said dethereofasthe shuttle is boxedand the lay--mo-- tion is slack'ened'tending to moveand-maintain the detector arm in detecting position during forward'motion of the layI 5.;In weft detecting mechanism for a 100 5 havinga lay movable back and forth therein and; 2:1. alongwhic'li 'a' shuttle' 'moves and-is brought= abruptly to "rest, a detector member pivoted to the shuttle and having a detector'arm and a-= weighted arm extending obliquely with respect to the axis' ofthe shuttle; said weighted :arm being effective" due to momentum thereof when the shuttle speedfis slackenedfto' move the detector arm to detecting position, and said weighted arm duetoits oblique position -and momentum be cause of slackening speedof "the Iaytending to maintain the'dete'ctorarm in detecting position.

OSCAR V. 15 

